Over the last year I’ve been following Craig Roh into a deep dive into the sublime subtleties of pass rushing. Not that you need all of that to appreciate fine defensive end play. As a fan it’s quite obvious when a player has mastered the art of coordinating hand movement, hip flexion, foot spacing and angle, and shoulder depth from the trail they leave. One moment there’s some people standing up around a football-holding guy, and then suddenly this beautiful dance has become a jumbled mosh pit and the quarterback is screaming.

The game of Mario Eugenio, who committed to Michigan today, has all the subtlety of a metal concert. If you really break it down there’s all kinds of technique in there, mixed together in ways that keep your mind guessing and which would fascinate any true aficionado. You can appreciate that, sure, but you don’t really care how many times the time signature just changed, because you’re just here to experience the raw viscera and brutality, and be glad it’s directed at someone else.

But we can still talk about why it’s cool.

GURU RATINGS

Arrows show trend of recruiting rankings. An arrow is like a third of a star.

That comes out to a 4.00 in my spreadsheet (I average data points, weighting overall rankings and ratings higher than positional/state rankings), putting Eugenio among a big pile of historic and present DEs like Jeremy Van Alstyne, Ron Johnson, Pat Kratus, David Ojabo, Kechaun Bennett, Mario Ojemudia, and Jaylen Harrell. If 24/7 ever comes around we’re into Wormley/Beyer/RVB/Rumishek territory.

Eugenio’s rankings leapt up across the board in April. ESPN shot him up from obscurity to nearly top-200. Rivals used to have him a 5.6 and the #40 SDE, a designation they tend to use for guys who don’t have a lot of pass rush, but moved him up to a 5.8 WDE after his 17-sack junior season, and moved him up again recently. Even 24/7, the low outlier, bumped Eugenio up from an 86 this spring, and admit that their DL rankings in Florida are messed up because this year is insanely deep. That coincided with a string of camp performances, and with Macdonald and Helow targeting the Tampa prospect immediately on assuming their new jobs.

One of the factors had to be the chance to play early, something ISU reporters were concerned about($) when it looked like Matt Campbell was going to swipe the guy from UCF.

[Hit THE JUMP for scouting, video, and the rest.]

SCOUTING

Eugenio was a bona fide camp rat. His 24/7 profile is pretty clear about where the rankings are coming from, if light on the reason:

Has also competed in track and field.

2021: Named a top performer by 247Sports at Under Armour All-America Camp in Miami.

2020: MaxPreps All-Florida second-team selection on defense. Helped Gaither go 11-1 and make a deep run in the 6A state playoffs.

Here’s the scouting from that Miami camp by 24/7’s Andrew Ivins, who placed Eugenio #5 of the next five on defense:

After totaling 17 sacks this past fall at Tampa (Fla.) Gaither, Eugenio has made it clear that he's on a mission to earn a fourth star. The edge rusher won more reps than he lost during 1-on-1s Sunday as he used a quick first step and quick hands to maneuver his way past blockers. Eugenio's measurables won't blow anyone away, but he's efficient with his moves and understands how to find leverage. He recently landed his first two SEC offers from Missouri and Mississippi State. More could be on the way as his junior tape makes the rounds.

Ivins also saw Eugenio in March at FBU in Orlando while standing next to FBU coach Lo Wood:

Eugenio has actively been seeking out competition this spring/winter and he once again showed just how good he is at 1-on-1s. "That boy is on something," Wood joked. "He would never slow down. He was an 18 wheeler going 100 miles per hour with no breaks. He beat everybody. I don't think one person stopped him. He's got a motor. He's got the right technique. And he's just someone that everyone wants to be around." … “I’m surprised he doesn’t have more offers.”

Mario was on radars early; they had to move him up to compete with the 2021s at a camp in July 2020 (clips). Ivins after that camp praised Eugenio’s reach but not his size:

The last time we saw Eugenio, he earned an invite to Under Armour's Future Camp back in February, so it's not surprising that he once again impressed in a camp setting. The pass rusher out of Tampa Gaither used his 78-inch reach to maneuver past opposing lineman for what would have been sacks. Eugenio will need to eventually add some mass, but should continue to pick up scholarship offers as his best football looks to be ahead of him.

He was listed at 225 at that camp and is 240 now, for what it’s worth. A year before that he was the top defensive lineman to watch in 2019 to 24/7 scout Ed O’Brien, measuring 6-2.5 and 206, and described as “high-energy.”

This is a variation on a camp story we’ve heard before, where a kid puts up insane numbers at a high level all through his high school career, excels in camp settings, and leaves a trail of “but his measurables” behind him.

Certain types of defenses don’t care. Eugenio made 24/7’s “Must-get recruit for every preseason top 20 team” post for preseason #6 Iowa State. Eugenio confirmed that their OLB/DE off-edge position was the plan to both sites. Here’s the Rivals one because it’s more succinct:

“We really got into detail on how I would fit into their defense and how it is run,” said Eugenio. “It appeals to me, because it’s basically what I do now. Their LEO position is basically what I do. They’re going to have the end rushing on third down going after the quarterback and also dropping into coverage. That’s a really suitable position for me.”

Will McDonald IV, who’s 6-4/230, led the nation with 10.5 sacks from that position last year, for the record. He also came back for his senior year, though I can’t imagine that affected Eugenio’s decision.

Rivals also came to their opinions over camps. National analyst Sam Spiegelman named Eugenio the #2 performer at the latest 5-star Challenge (clips here):

Just as he did at RCS Miami, Eugenio made another compelling case for MVP honors in Atlanta. The newest member of the updated Rivals250 was in top form. He saw action playing off the edge and inside, where he was certainly impressive. Eugenio showcased a handful of new moves in his pass-rush arsenal and was explosive off the line and around the edge.

Spiegelman also had Eugenio the #2 defensive performer at the Miami Rivals Camp series that Mario used to punch his ticket to the Five-Star Challenge:

Eugenio, a four-star edge-defender from the Tampa area, was a force on Sunday. The 6-foot-3, 240-pounder boasts a 77-inch wingspan, but also bends well and turns the corner with authority. Eugenio blends size and speed with great flexibility and his length allows him to close strong.

…and explained the invite:

Eugenio was explosive off the line and blended both size and speed off the edge with some of the best reps of the entire showcase. The Tampa-based defensive end bends very well and is hard to contain for long periods of time. He has a knack for finishing and is long enough to cause havoc.

Adam Gorney’s take was “Mario Eugenio is a monster” but not where you think:

When Mario Eugenio took reps at defensive end, the four-star won some reps and lost some reps and looked pedestrian at times. But when he moved inside and took reps against offensive guards, even at 238 pounds, the Tampa (Fla.) Gaither prospect was unstoppable.

Eugenio is stronger than he looks (he took part in the Bench Press Competition at the Five-Star Challenge) and so offensive guards cannot just muscle him around inside. With his speed and burst, Eugenio might not always play inside but in certain packages it could be really useless [sic] and that’s why Michigan, Iowa State and others are heavily involved in his recruitment.

And Adam Friedman gave Mario the “Hot Flashes” Friedman award at the Miami camp:

Eugenio is a super athletic edge defender that was not afraid to take on the best linemen at the camp. He may not have had as many wins as some of the other defensive ends on Sunday, but his skillset was really impressive and he was the only defensive lineman to get a win against Armella. His up-and-down day earned him this award.

There were a lot of these camp takes along the way. Chad Simmons after the Under Amour camp in early March right after they bumped Eugenio to a low 4-star:

He flashed a quick first step and used speed off the edge to beat some top offensive linemen.

Josh Helmholdt on why Eugenio was his #10 at The Show in late December:

It is easy to see why he had success reaching the quarterback this past fall. Eugenio has an explosive first step and continues to build speed through the line. He deployed several rush moves to evade blocks. Eugenio probably had the best rep of any defensive lineman against Okunlola, but he was handled easily by McVay. He would have been higher on this list with a little more consistency.

Eugenio made all the rounds in 2020 as well but didn’t earn much mention from the sites. He’s come a long way in the videos.

OFFERS

Miami (YTM) and Oregon were the other places Eugenio was going to visit before he saw Michigan and set a commitment date instead. Georgia and FSU were poking around. Rutgers and Indiana (what is up with Tom Allen and recruiting Florida so well?) were earlier interests before the Cyclones really took hold of this recruitment—had Michigan not switched coaching staffs and Helow jumped all over Eugenio immediately it’s likely Mario ends up in Ames.

HIGH SCHOOL

Gaither High is a Tampa area powerhouse that hosted Snoop Dogg’s Snoop Bowl event at the Super Bowl some years back. The Cowboys went 11-1 last season, and were undefeated until an upset to Lake Minneola in the Class 6A, Region 2 final. Minneola partisans pointed out that Gaither’s defense had ten Division 1 recruits on it. They’ll be moving up to 7A this year, which is the level Aquinas plays in.

One of those D1 defenders is 6-3/359 DT Tawfiq Thomas, who joined Eugenio on all of his camps and official visits, and would be a big person of interest if DT recruiting wasn’t going as well as it seems. They’re just the latest of a steady stream of 3- and 4-stars that Gaither puts out. They sent 4-star CB Jordan Young to UF and 4-star RB Ricky Parks to Utah this year, and current Detroit Lion Amani Oruwariye to Penn State. If we end up rescheduling that Ball State game, Eugenio might get a shot at his old QB, 2021 3-star Kiael Kelly.

Eugenio also runs track at Gaither and trains with the Florida Edge Assassins group (not to be mistaken for the New Orleans Edge Assassins group) which is coached by the director of the Football University training organization, which runs the All-American Bowl and other events.

STATS

Via 24/7 Eugenio had 20 TFLs and 17 sacks for Gaither last year. He also had 42 tackles, 5 PBUs, 2 INTs, 3 FFs and recovered 2. He had 81 tackles, 18 TFLs, 13 sacks, 3 PBUs, 2 INTs, 3 FFs and 1 FR in 2019.

FAKE 40 TIME

Hudl reports a 305 bench and a 4.78 forty. I was expecting something like a 4.8 given the way they talk about his speed relative to other prospects and matches the camp times reported by The Opening, which is about as good as you can get. So one FAKE out of five.

VIDEO

I love how they slow this down his sophomore film at key moments so you can appreciate the craft:

I also want to show you his performance at a Rivals camp. Pay attention to how quickly he shifts an outside rush to an inside one.

I give you permission too stick around for 2 reps of Deone Walker after

Samson Okunlola is a 2023 from Don Brown country (Brown’s recruiting his 4-star brother for 2022) who’s heading for a 5-star, and won the first rep handily by being more patient with his hands. Eugenio remembered, and set up Okunlola with a power move. The next two reps were an inside-outside and an outside-inside that put the OL on spin cycle. Okunlola won best in camp, losing just two reps all day. They don’t mention how much he lost them by. Elite 2022 OT Julian Armella (the #4 player in the country to Rivals) got the better of Eugenio’s mostly inside moves, but Mario beat him outside and gave him jazz hands. Eugenio handily won their matchup in March.

More video can be found on his Hudl page and his TikTok.

PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE

I’ve watched a lot of film on edge guys and am used to seeing “huge guy with with speed.” This is the first time since Josh Uche (a different kind of prospect) that I was most excited about hips and body control. Eugenio has long arms, great bend, gets super skinny in the hole, and just owns the edge with his horizontal agility. His rankings make sense given all the camp appearances and the lack of offers.

So why the lack of offers? My best guess is he doesn’t fit the archetype of a defensive end, and probably isn’t going to grow into a tackle. He gets by on superior technique, which every coach thinks he can teach, and average raw talent. Eugenio is insanely productive because anyone but an elite blocker gets turned to mush by his second move.

Football doesn’t know what to do with that kind of player, until someone does. Pontiac’s Matt Judon ended up at Grand Valley State and is now one of the most productive “system” edge defenders in the NFL. Michigan almost lost to Army a couple of years ago because Shea Patterson refused to play chicken with a guy like this.

That should not have been a give, but the more that kind of edge player can come inside without losing his edge, the more a defense can force modern read offenses into the teeth of their defenses.

I don’t want to sound like one of the Soup Stan Clan but I think it says something about why Matt Campbell is having success with the 404 Tite in Ames that Eugenio was the top target on his staff’s board. It also says something about how Ravens-like Michigan’s new defense is going to be, because both the Amoeba and ISU’s Tite system demand this kind of size and agility on the edge to punish offenses that try to outflank them. When I look at Eugenio’s film I see a guy who expands this range of horizontality because he can play as strong as a 270-pound DE at 240. A lot of college teams are going to look at that and say “Well then what are you—a slow outside linebacker or a small defensive lineman?” But for a few defenses, that type of tweenership is a feature, not a bug. Eugenio correctly identified Iowa State as one of those weird defenses. Michigan is clearly installing another.

He’s not an instant Matt Judon, but he’s got the length and that lateral balance that could be a college Judon.

Eugenio made it clear early in his recruitment that he wants to play, and part of the attraction to Michigan was how clear it was that the new staff were making him a priority. Unless we’ve got some incredible NIL deal lined up for Aidan Hutchinson there will be a big opening at one of the “OLB” spots in 2022, with presumptive starter Taylor Upshaw still around for one or two more years. David Ojabo, Jaylen Harrell, Michael Morris, Gabe Newburg, and Braiden McGregor will be upperclassmen with a lot of eligibility remaining thanks to the COVID year, and Kechaun Bennett, TJ Guy, and Dom Giudice will have a year in the program.

It’s also possible he outgrows OLB—though that will be hard since size is a plus as long as you can still move laterally. If we were recruiting to Don Brown’s defense you could say that’s an intriguing potential Anchor or focus on the incredible burst off the line of scrimmage and hope to build a Hurst out of that if you can pack on weight. I also don’t think Eugenio would have bothered in that case—the defense came to him, and I’m more excited that I should be to see him in it.

PROFILES

UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS

With pure pass rusher Kevonte Henry last week, Michigan has quickly added two edge defenders, and would like to add one or two more, ideally GA 3* Joshua Josephs, a Uche type the new staff identified around the same time they zeroed in on Eugenio. They were after AL 4* DE/future surgeon Justice Finkley, but Finkley, whom the staff was comparing to Judon, surprisingly released a top three without Michigan in it after his official visit to Texas.

The board.